Changing display apparatus



April 2, 1940. s. E. sLAcK CHANGING DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed lay 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l I llza.

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GEO/ese E, SLAC/C 3S AP-l'il v2, 1940- G. E. sLAcK 2,195,941

CHANGING DISPLAY 'APPARATUS Filed lay 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l /NVE/vTo/e GEOQG@ E, SLHC/C vPatented Apr. 2, 1940 PATENT oFFicE CHANGING DISPLAY APPARATUS I, George Edgar Slack, Ruislip, England Application May 1.7, 1939, serial No. 274,248

f In Great Britain March 25, 1938 4 Claims.

This invention relates, to changing display apparatus. The invention is primarily intended for displaying flexible sheets bearing printed matter and is particularly, though not exclusively, adapted for displaying a series of news billsV which can be employed is often limited by reasony of space and in many cases space for one or tWo boards only is available.

The object of the present invention is to provide a display device in which rolled-up sheets, e. g. placards, are housed and periodically unrolled for display, so `that a 'series of sheets are displayed in a desired sequence.

Broadly, the invention comprises means for accommodating a supply of rolled-up sheets, means for releasing or feeding the rolled-up sheets singly, means for unrolling the singly-fed rolled sheet into an open displaying' condition, and means for rolling-up the sheet after a prearranged display period.

The rolled-up sheets are preferably stacked horizontally in a housing within which they move from one end to the other, the sheets being fed from one, i. e. the delivery end of the housing y and returned automatically to the other, i. e. the receiving end .of the housing. The sheets may move unaided, e. g. by gravity, through the house ing, be released or fed singly from the bottom of the stack and returned after display to the top or" the stack. With a View to employing the apparatus to the best advantage, it is desirable to effect simultaneously the operations of unrolling one sheet for display and of rolling-up another sheet after display.

The sheet-controlling means employed may have a reciprocatory movement and be effected, for example, by endless belt mechanism, such as chains, the display period being substantially equal to the period occupied by a single traverse oi the control means through its circuit.

In the case of endless chain mechanism for operating-the sheet control means, it is convenient to dispose a pair of endless chains on opposite sides of the display area and to move the chains unidirectionally at a constant or variable speed, as desired.

Each sheet is rolled upon a spool to which the top horizontal edge of the' sheet anchored and is displayed by being transversely supported ad-A jacent the receiving end of the housing, the lower edge of the sheet being held captive near the bottom of the housing, so that the sheet hangs substantially vertically from the spool. The displayed or unrolled sheet is carried by its spool on movable supports which are moved at the end of the display period to return the rolled-up sheet to the stack, the rolling-up of the sheet thus supported being preferably effected simultaneously with the unrolling of a second sheet, whilst the lower end of the rolling-up sheet is held captive until released automatically when the second sheet is almost completely unrolled.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention, showing a construction utilizing endless chains for sheet control movements.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear View of the complete apparatus, with the stacked rolls shown at the left and omitted at the right to disclose one sheet in the course of being unrolled for display and another sheet being rolled up after display.

Figure 2 is a i vertical cross-section on line II--II of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary side elevations of an' apparatus lemploying endless chains, the two iigures showing respectively the position'of the mechanism during one instant of the time that one sheet is being rolled up and another unrolled and the position of the mechanism during the display period when the sheet is fully open.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan of the mechanism with the component parts in the position shown in Figure 3; and

Figures 6 and 7 show the spool-releasing mechanis'm and associated means in two more of the positions occupied in the complete cycle.

It will be' understood that the mechanism illustrated is duplicated at the opposite sides of the machine, as indicated in Figure 1.

Like reference numerals on the various figures indicate corresponding component parts of the apparatus. v

In the construction shown in Figures l to 7, the apparatus comprises a vertical rectangular open frame l. The frame supports a pair of opposed channels 5 wherein are held the axle pins 6 of a number of transversely and horizontally disposed flanged spools 'I which are stacked inthe housing constituted by the two channels 5. Each spool lil l carries a iexibleA sheet 8 of canvas or otherv placard or the like may be pasted or otherwise attached. The sheet 8 is preferably of double or multiple-ply material and between the plies is inserted a spring strip 9 which tends to keep the sheet 8 rolled up. The top edge of the sheet 8 is anchored to the body of the spool 'l while the lower edge is provided with a stiffening rod or bar I!) by means .of which this edge is held captive during the sheet controlling operations, as hereinafter more particularly described.

The spool 'l carrying the unrolled sheet 8 being displayed is supported by its axle pins 6 in hooklike sockets 20 provided on discs 2| rotatable in one direction only. In order to prevent rotation of the discs in undesired direction there is provided for one of these discs a pawl 20a adapted to engage one of the flat sides 21a of such disc. This pawl is pivoted on a pin 20h carried by the frame i and a stop pin 2c extends from said frame to limit the movement of the pawl in one direction. On the inside of the discs 2! are upper sprocket wheels 22 which are located above corresponding lower sprocket wheels 23 for the purpose of traversing endless chain belts 24, motion being imparted to the chains by rotating either of the sprocket pairs 22 or 23 or through other driving means not shown. The sprockets 22 are carried on shafts 22a. supported in brackets 22h xed to the frame I. The chains 24 each carry spool-supporting brackets 25 and fixed catches or hooks 26 for holding captive the sheet rod il) during the rolling-up of a sheet 8 after displaysee Figure 3. The sheet rod Iii of a sheet during the period it is fully displayed is held captive by pivoted catches 2'.' mounted near the discharge end of the spool housing. On the chains 2d between the brackets 25 and the catches 2E? are mounted rollers 28 which are adapted to contact with abutments 29 on the discs 2i so as to eiect a step-by-step or intermittent partial rotation of the discs 2|, with the result that the disc socket 2! following that supporting the upper spool 7 which has been on display engages under the arde pins 5 of the spool 'I carried by chain brackets 25. The rotation of the discs 2| also returns the upper spool I to the receiving ends of the channels 5. Prior to this intermittent partial rotation oi the discs 2l, the rod lil of the rolled sheet 8 is disengaged from the catches 25 as these pass rearwardly over the upper sprockets 22. The mechanism is now in the position shown in Figure 4, which is the position assumed near the end cf the fully displayed position, and accordingly shows the empty spool brackets 25 about to operate the means for releasing another spool 'l from the channels 5, and to pick up a spool 'i resting at the lower discharge end of said channels 5. This last-mentioned spool has remained in this position during the simultaneous rolling-up of one sheet after display and the unrolling of the next sheet for display and also during the greater part of the fully unrolled period oi the unrolled sheet. Normally the stack of spools is held up by star-wheels 3D with which the spool brackets 25 eventually make contact in passing. Hence, while the spool brackets 25 are moving into position to pick up the waiting spool l, the next or lowermost spool of the stack is being released singly by the moving star-wheels 30. The released spool moves down into Contact with the waiting spool and urges same forward into contact with the pivoted transfer cam 3i. This initial depression of the lower end of the cam 3l is followed up and increased by the contact therewith of the roller 28, with the result that by the time the brackets 25 have picked up the waiting spool, the upper end of the cam 3| has transferred the rod l0 from engagement with the normal detention catches 21 into engagement with the chain catches 26, the catches 21 dropping by gravity into the position shown in Figure 6. A little later the spool in the chain brackets 25 contacts with catches 21 to cause them to engage the rod I0 of the sheet carried by the ascending spool. The chains 24 may have a continuous traverse at uniform speed, or the traverse may be variable as to speed, being accelerated during part of the cycle, for example, during the change-over period from displaying one sheet to displaying another, and slowed or even arrested completely during another part of the cycle, for example, while the displayed sheet is fully exposed.

In practice, the operating mechanism and the stack of spools would be accommodated within a suitable casing having a viewing aperture through which the displayed sheet is visible. A series of these changing signs could be accommodated within a common housing, all the signs being operated by a common power unit, or each or a pair of signs operated by a separate power unit.

It will be appreciated that it vis not essential for the spools to be unrolled as they are elevated vertically into the display position, as by inversion of the apparatus and modifications in the mechanism which would be apparent to a skilled workman, the spool could be held while the sheet is unrolled and the spool lowered or raised after an appropriate display period. Alternatively, the spool would be positioned vertically and the sheet unrolled by a sideward movement.

In each of the modified arrangements referred to means for positively traversing the stack o1" spools through the spool housing would be required.

Sheets displaying stop-press news may be shown out of sequence, that is, without waiting for them to traverse right through the housing, by stopping the apparatus at any time and substituting the special sheet for that being displayed or for the waiting spool at the releasing and feeding end of the apparatus.

I claim:

l. In a display device for successively displaying normally rolled sheets, a series of rollers each having end axles, a series of sheets each having one end attached to a roller and its other end provided with a stiiening rod projecting beyond each side of the sheet, a pair of laterally spaced endless chains, supporting and driving wheels for said chains arranged in spaced pairs, means to drive the driving wheels, means on said chains for supporting said end axles, fixed anchorages for engaging the projecting ends of the stiiening rods, other anchorages mounted on said chains adapted to receive the said projecting ends upon disengagement thereof -from the iixed anchorages, and rod releasing means for engaging the rod ends and eiecting release thereof from the fixed anchorages.

2. The display device of claim 1 wherein the rod releasing means comprises a pair of tiltaole members pivoted so as to have their upper ends swing into and out of engagement with the rod ends and having cam surfaces in the paths of said end axles for eecting tilting upon passage of a roller supported by the roller support.

3. The display device of claim l. wherein there is provided a pair of opposed channels for receiving the axle ends of rollers not in use, a roll nels and including axle end engaging means in transfer device adjacent one end of said pair of channels and including axle end engaging means in the paths of the axle ends carried by the supporting means on the chains, and coactng means on the chains and roll transfer device actuating the latter upon movement of the chains.

4. The display device of claim 1 wherein there is provided a pair of opposed channels for receiving the axle ends of rollers not in use, a roll trans- 10 fer device adjacent oneend of said pair of chan-g.

the paths of the axle ends carried by the supporting means on the chains, coacting means on the chainsv and roll transfer device actuating the latter upon movement of the chains, and a single delivery device at the other end of the channels and extending intothe path of the axle end supports on the chains, said supports engaging and operatingsaid single delivery device.

GEORGE EDGAR SLACK. 

